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Marketing is a special challenge for KIBS. KIBS deliver knowledge embedded in services, consulting activities, and problem solving capability. Consequently, marketing must communicate the provider's ability to manage knowledge exchanges with customers. The implementation of an appropriate marketing strategy also implies a proper approach to auditing marketing activities, but marketing audit procedures and tools are generally targeted to manufacturing or retailing companies. This paper proposes a novel approach to marketing audit for KIBS companies that focuses on their relational and cognitive capabilities. It consists of a questionnaire-based tool subdivided in sections, each of which considers a particular stage of the customer-provider relationship. The basic assumption is that the effective delivery of knowledgeintensive services requires intense and continuous exchanges of knowledge between customer and provider, and this capability must fit the specific business environment in terms of markets, competitors, etc. The marketing capability of a company is measured in terms of its ability to fruitfully interact with customers in the conditions of the particular operating environment. The questionnaire can help executives of KIBS companies to self assess the "marketing positioning" of their firms. Due to its easiness of use, it is particularly suitable for small companies. The paper describes the theoretical foundations on which the audit tool is based, a particular implementation for the ICT services sector, and the results of a test conducted with ICT companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intellectual capital has become a key element of the knowledge economy. Their management is a factor that influences the competitive advantage of companies. The main objective of this paper is to present a methodology (ICM - Intellectual Capital Model) that allows the audit of intellectual capital management in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). From the conducted research, it can be concluded that the model is technically robust and determines that the management of intellectual capital is likely to be audited and certified in order to control the quality and dynamism of the knowledge generated and allowing the partner organizations (customers, suppliers and enders) to estimate the innovation capacity and verify the conformity of their management parameters, compared with a reference standard. Indeed, the results of surveys also show that the proposed model forms the basis of a credible accreditation system for intellectual capital management in the majority of Portuguese SMEs. This paper also contributes to enhance the discussion around the value of organizations intangible assets and therefore to change the current concepts of economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The online learning environment has become a highly competitive industry in which many stakeholders have become more interested and involved in its overall operation. One particular area that most stakeholders will agree upon is the value of human capital in this industry. Stewart (1997) classified Intellectual Capital into three key areas: human capital, structural capital, and customer capital. This paper will focus on the human capital element in the online learning environment. Human capital is explained as "the capabilities of the company's employees necessary to provide solutions to customers, to innovate and to renew. As a result of changing technology and economic times, many organizations are realizing the need to update, innovate, and rejuvenate. InCaS (2010) noted that "As a result of constant changes caused by globalisation, emerging technologies and shorter product life-cycles, knowledge and innovation have already become the main competitive advantages of many companies. Especially European small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) are highly dependent on the ability to identify changes in their global economic environment quickly and respond to these changes with suitable solutions." (p. 4) Just liked their European counterparts, American enterprises and organizations are scanning their environments and focusing on responding to potential changes in order to capture and maintain their market share and prepare for the future. In additional in individual capabilities, human capital includes the dynamics of an intelligent (learning) organization in a changing competitive environment, its creativity, and innovativeness" (Stewart, 1997, p. 13). Thus, there has been an increase in the focus as to how online learning providers are investing more money and time in preparing their online instructional staff. Sokolowska (2006) commented that "if we look at learning organizations we can see two types of trends. She stated that "such organizations are understood in dynamic organizational categories that are oriented at their development, searches for new chances on the market and continually increases their effectiveness, efficiency and flexibility. The second group of learning organizations consists of such entities that choose growth through development of their employees." (p. 158) This paper examines the online learning environment, requirements for the online instructional staff, and strategies to help better prepare and develop their intellectual capital in this particular learning environment. Further, this paper will examine how these strategies are reinforced by the commitment of the educational institution in terms of preparing their online instructors, as well as mentoring them along the way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizational innovation is one of the main tools for attaining a competitive advantage. Multinational corporations operate in different countries may capture new knowledge from diverse markets, customers or suppliers. This paper focuses on the knowledge transfer from the subsidiaries to the headquarters (knowledge transfer reverse). Furthermore, we try to analyse how this transferred knowledge facilitates the generation of innovations. Its study has demanded the analysis of the mediator role of absorptive capacity. Our results show that reverse knowledge influences indirectly on the headquarters' innovation trough the existence of an absorptive capacity. Several conclusions and managerial implications are derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At a time when intellectual capital and product innovation management are both considered to be critical for companies to gain a competitive edge (and even survive) in today's unstable business environment, this paper discusses the influence of relational capital on product innovation performance at innovative small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Building upon the intellectual capital and new product development perspectives, an empirical research was conducted, using a questionnaire administered to a network of Portuguese innovative SMEs. The findings suggest that relational capital does have a positive effect on product innovation performance. In particular, "Vertical relationships" emerges as the main relational capital element significantly affecting product innovation at the innovative SMEs level. The existence and proactive management of relationships with customers and suppliers emerge as critical factors to product innovation success. We find our results to be useful for both researchers and practitioners: we contribute to the ongoing understanding of relational capital's impact on critical business phenomena, while also identifying additional critical factors for new product development success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global economy is changing. Resources are scarce and companies, of all sizes, need to be more competitive and productive. The company's financial risk ratings have demonstrated numerous weaknesses. The funders, shareholders or even the State need tools that improve the quality of their decision making. Several authors argue that the real competitive advantages resulting from the management of intangible assets, i.e. assets of knowledge, as a condition for achieving the productivity and competitiveness. However, organizations have always valued the knowledge; the novelty is the recognition that knowledge is an asset that must be managed with the same attention given to other assets. The literature contains numerous definitions of knowledge. Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) consider knowledge as "a dynamic human process of justifying personal belief about the truth" and the understanding how crucial to the creation of knowledge to differentiate between tacit knowledge (which is obtained through practice) and explicit is. In this sense, knowledge is the information to be used by the human mind allowing the decision-making. And knowledge management is the ability that the organization has to identify and codify knowledge, stimulate their development and facilitate its implementation (Lopes and Matos, 2005). The knowledge management can also be understood as the orientation of the dynamics of subjectivity and objectivity within the organization (Rowley and Gibbs, 2008), maximized through use of new technologies and organizational networks. From this perspective, knowledge management is the quality of the interactions of individuals, teams, processes and customers and its ability to identify and encode the same knowledge, stimulate their development and facilitate its implementation. Following the conceptualization these are the dimensions that allow us to define intellectual capital. But to manage in times of market globalization, in which trust is based on evidence, becomes crucial to know whether it is possible to audit and certify assets of organizations. Therefore, it is necessary to create reliable and accessible tools in this field. Thus, intellectual capital management, in a form which is able to be audited and certified in order to control the quality and dynamism of the knowledge generated in the organization, will enable the partner organizations (customers, suppliers and lenders) to determine the capacity for innovation, and verify the conformity of their management parameters, compared to a reference standard. Considered this conceptualization, Matos and Lopes (2009), proposed a methodology to audit intellectual capital management, which has been refined through several researches. This paper summarizes the results obtained with one of these researches. Using the biplot methodology (Gabriel, 1971) it was possible to reconfirm the proposed methodology. It shows that development degree of intellectual capital can be audited in a credible way, using this methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the nature of the impact of learning on the adoption of information technologies (IT) and vice versa in the naval sector. It is necessary for a shipyard to acquire new knowledge, distribute it, interpret it, and store it enabling the use of Information Technologies by internal and external agents. For this reason, a model must be found in order to examine the impact of IT on the codification of knowledge considering external agents (customers, suppliers and retired personnel) and internal agents (engineers, workers and managers) in the shipyard. The authors investigate the implementation of IT through a learning process in the naval industry through a case study. The authors collected data through interviews and presented a model depicting linkages between agents of a shipyard organization (customer, suppliers, engineers, workers, directors), knowledge-related processes (codification, storage, reutilization) and benefits. Following discussion of the model, authors conclude that acquiring external knowledge is beneficial and facilitating interactions between agents increases the benefits for the shipyard organization. In the study it is possible to appreciate that acquiring and distributing knowledge from external agents is a previous step to the codification of this knowledge using Technological tools. Only considering this sequence, it is guaranteed a knowledge update by internal agents in the shipyard. During the last few years the naval industry has been modernized in defence matters and a lot of money has been spent in IT. That is why it is necessary to assess the use of IT and learning in this sector as well as to analyse the knowledge learning process and systematisation used in the naval industry during the different phases required for construction. Finally, the results have implications for managers of the shipyard when they make a choice as to the organizational capabilities to target in order to ensure the effective adoption of IT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relevance and awareness of IC in two hotel chains in the Caribbean. A qualitative exploratory case study method was used to gain an in-depth understanding of the constructs relating to IC within indigenous Caribbean hotels. The data collection procedures employed were documentation, archival records and twenty interviews with top managers. Content analysis was used as the major technique for analyzing the data. The major finding is that there is no formal recognition of the construct of IC, but the embedded practices within the organisations suggested the presence of such. The data clustering and analysis of the evidence suggested two themes for HC -personal competencies and human resource praxes; three themes for RC - customer capital, brand and community capital; and three themes for SC - information systems, innovation and organization. The case studies further revealed that the chains had embedded human resource practices and well established customer relationship management systems which created linkages among the components of IC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the final phase of a larger research project that investigates knowledge transfer in global supply chains from the perspective of South East Asian reseller companies. In a previous study a theoretical model for knowledge transfer in global supply chains was developed and quantitatively validated for the case of Thai resellers of laboratory equipment where equipment resale companies (donors) provide training to their customers (recipients). Results from that previous study indicated that the transfer capability was the most important issue for the donor firms. Furthermore, the most critical factor for the recipient firms was their absorptive capacity in the form of certain capabilities for the successful utilization of the technical knowledge received from the donor firms. By adopting a qualitative sense-making research approach and a two-round focus group interview method for data collection and analysis the current study attempts to provide further deeper explanations for the results of previous quantitative survey. Five participants were chosen for two-round of focus group meetings for this purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we sketch a "problem-based perspective" of the service business, following the latest theoretical developments in the field of the knowledge-based view of the firm and the related problem-solving perspective. In particular, we approach services as "problems to be solved" for and with the customer. Our paper outlines a framework in which the knowledge processes regarding service delivery are conceptualized on two axes: 1) the intensity of knowledge sharing and co-creation of services between the provider and the customer and 2) the nature of the problem-solving process regarding the service delivery. Based on the developed conceptual framework, we provide implications concerning the organizing of various types of services in terms of the different problem- solving processes they require. Furthermore, after identifying the distinctive problem-solving processes with the help of the typology, theoretical and practical implications for service and knowledge management are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]